By sport / Pickleball
Pickleball tournament bracket
Most pickleball events play pool play first, then a medal bracket. For a social session, a rotating-partner round robin gives everyone a new partner every round.
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Entered order is the seeding. Up to 64.
Pickleball rules that shape the bracket
- Games are usually to 11, win by 2; many events play to 15 or 21 with rally scoring.
- A bracket game is often best of 3 in the medal round.
- Teams are pairs. Skill divisions (for example 3.0, 3.5, 4.0) are run as separate brackets.
Games and time for common sizes
Time per game is set at 25 minutes and 6 courts. Change either one in the games calculator.
| Field | Games | Court time | Clock time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 teams, pool play (4 pools, top 1) | 15 | 6 h 15 min | 2 h 5 min |
| 16 teams, pool play (5 pools, top 1 + 3) | 25 | 10 h 25 min | 2 h 30 min |
| 20 teams, pool play (6 pools, top 1 + 2) | 31 | 12 h 55 min | 3 h 45 min |
| 6 teams, round robin | 15 | 6 h 15 min | 2 h 5 min |
Which format to use
For 12 to 24 teams, use pool play into a bracket so everyone gets at least three games.
For a rotating-partner session with 8 players, the circle method gives 7 rounds in which each player partners every other player exactly once.
Every court you add lets a pool finish a round faster; count courts first.
Rotating partners for 8 players
Each round, the pairs below are partners. Over 7 rounds every player partners every other player once. Two partnerships play each other on a court.
| Round | Partnerships |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 + 8 · 2 + 7 · 6 + 3 · 4 + 5 |
| 2 | 8 + 2 · 3 + 1 · 7 + 4 · 5 + 6 |
| 3 | 3 + 8 · 4 + 2 · 1 + 5 · 6 + 7 |
| 4 | 8 + 4 · 5 + 3 · 2 + 6 · 7 + 1 |
| 5 | 5 + 8 · 6 + 4 · 3 + 7 · 1 + 2 |
| 6 | 8 + 6 · 7 + 5 · 4 + 1 · 2 + 3 |
| 7 | 7 + 8 · 1 + 6 · 5 + 2 · 3 + 4 |
Questions
How many courts do I need?
A pool of four teams needs two courts to play a round together. Count pools and halve.
Can I run singles?
Yes, enter each player as a team.
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